Be Careful What Words You Allow To Take Root In You

We must take care of what we allow to be spoken into our lives. Words are powerful things that shape us even if we think we are not allowing them to effect us. Even those without Jesus have woken up to this fact as they move to try to change the language of our youth in schools. So many suicides have happened because of the words of mean spirited people or of people who did not understand the effect of their words.

I have known many people who faced illness in the strength of the Lord. They were doing well, standing on the promises of Jesus, overcoming what wanted to destroy them, staring it down with growing faith. But then the doctor spoke his reality into their life and suddenly that reality became larger than the reality of the Kingdom and they let go of hope, giving in to the hopeless despair of this world.

One of my daughters found herself in a situation that perfectly illustrates this spiritual fact. She is a dancer and has been preparing herself for a couple of important exams. She never stands still but is always in motion, practicing and enjoying the movement of her body. She works hard at her dance and I am very proud of her grit and determination to be the best she can be.

This year is particularly difficult because she has taken on a couple of additional classes putting a greater strain on her body. She has practiced through leg and ankle pain and understands what it is to push through. But lately she started getting pain in one of her knees leading up to her exams. Then one night she was sitting down, reading, and she turned to adjust her position. She heard a loud pop and pain shot through her knee. She could not put weight on that leg without a great deal of pain.

She started wearing a knee brace and sought guidance from her dance instructors to know best how to deal with this injury. But it did not stop her from going forward. The day of her tap exam I prayed over her knee and spoke strength into her. I knew Jesus would give her what she needed. But when she got to the exam an adult who was there told my daughter, "If you were my child I would not let you do this". She spoke those discouraging words into her minutes before the exam.

My daughter took the exam and her friend told her that she could see the pain in her eyes, but my daughter did it. She did not do it because I forced her to or because I said she should. She did it because she wanted to, because she did not want all her work to go to waste. She knew who she is in the Lord; she knew her source of strength and she gave all she had to give and trusted Jesus with the rest. She rejected those discouraging words and pressed forward.

The next day my wife was at the studio with another of my daughters and that same adult was there. She spoke to my wife and lifted up my older daughter to her, telling her that she did great with the exam. Out of that difficulty my daughter's determination provoked praise from the discourager and we pray Jesus will receive all the glory for it.

This is who we are in Jesus. No words of this world have formed us. It is important that we do not allow those words to take root in us but instead we wash them away with the truth of Jesus' words and promises. If we listen to the words of this world we will be utter failures and will never complete the race. If we choose to allow God's Word to overcome everything else, we will be more than conquerors with every challenge that faces us; we will be overcomers through Jesus Christ.

Be careful what words you allow to take root in you.

Just Another Philosophy?

Does Christianity have a place in society today? Is Jesus Christ relevant? Are Christians what Jesus intended them to be in the world in the year 2015? These are questions we need to be sure we have the answers to because the foundation upon which we have based our life has been shacking for a while and if it is not rock solid then we may find ourselves drowning in doubts.

I think what we should be concerned about is what we have reduced faith, the Church and Yahweh to in this dying world. What does the Church have to offer? What impact does it have? All most people can see is that the Church is a place people go to to feel good about life. It does some good in the community but so do a lot of other groups. It is fine for those who need that sort of thing but many people get the same benefit from hiking, fishing, golfing or going out for breakfast with some friends. If friendship and a sense of welling being is all the Church has to offer it is useless to Jesus.

The Church and her members were always meant to be outlets of Yahweh's glory. It is more than the meager things you can do in your own ability. It has always been more than just words. Jesus came with powerful, life changing words but he also came with compassionate power. It didn't end with him, he baptized his followers with the same Holy Spirit, the source of the power. As we read of the actions of these followers we discover that it was a combination of words and power that convinced people that Jesus and his offering was real. One of many examples is found with Philip in Samaria. We read this:

After they came to believe Philip, who preached the good news about God’s kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Even Simon himself came to believe and was baptized. Afterward, he became one of Philip’s supporters. As he saw firsthand the signs and great miracles that were happening, he was astonished. (Acts 8:12-13)

There was life here. It wasn't the signs and great miracles that brought about salvation in this case but these things encouraged and strengthened hearts. In other cases we hear apostles stating they did not come with great words but with signs and wonders so that people would not believe in philosophies but in Jesus Christ.

Our great fear of letting go of control and allowing the Spirit to work through us is dulling the Church, allowing Christianity to become one of many philosophies. Instead of being the only way, Jesus is considered to be one of many ways. For whatever reason, we fear the Spirit, we fear the power, we fear other Christians who have become dull to the Spirit and preach against him. But have we read the Word? Have we read what Jesus said? Have we read the birth of the Church? Power alone won't do it. Words alone won't do it. But when the words come with power, no doubt remains standing, all arguments are silenced and people discover life in Jesus.

There is nothing "astonishing" in our palaces of good works and philosophy. Nothing will change until we realize that Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit because we need the Holy Spirit as he needed him and as the disciples needed him. We are not a business to be managed. We are not a social club to encourage. We are not an entertainment hub to enjoy. We are not a school of social workers to do powerless good deeds. We are the Church, the Body of Christ, filled with power, hope and love. Don't reduce Jesus to mere words; let the power of the Spirit to freely flow through you.

Why Are You Looking For Living Things Among Dead Things

There is nothing new under the sun. Everything we experience has been experienced by other people; the same struggles, victories and insights. The solutions are often obvious. We know what we need to do but we don't do it. It could be fear, laziness, or simply a lack of discipline that prevents us from getting there but it really just boils down to whether we want it bad enough. I am going to state something obvious now.

When the women went to the tomb to take care of Jesus' body they were confused when they found the tomb empty:

When they found the stone rolled away from the entrance, they went in. But they did not find the body of the Lord[a] Jesus, and they did not know what to think. (Luke 24:2-4a)

Who could blame them? Was the body stolen? Did the officials move him? What was up with this? Except we can blame them because they had already been told what had happened before it had happened. The angels reminded them:

“Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death. Remember that while he was still in Galilee, he told you, ’The Son of Man will be handed over to sinners who will nail him to a cross. But three days later he will rise to life.’ “ (Luke 24:5-7)

The women were confused because they did not remember what Jesus had said. Now I am about to state that obvious thing that I said I would state by stretching this scripture a bit to cover us. Followers of Jesus today get confused because we don't remember what Jesus said. I told you it was obvious.

I don't know why we do it but it seems we are caught up in what everyone else has to say Jesus said instead of knowing what he said for ourselves. But it is more than just knowing. It is also trusting that what he said is the truth and doing it. The words of Jesus are useless statements unless we are going to live them.

Trying to follow Jesus without doing what he told us to do is just going to lead to a lot of confusion. Forgetting what Jesus said is going to leave us with a bunch of dead ends. "Why are you looking for the living among the dead?" There is more to those words than what you might realize. Reflect on them a bit and let the Spirit take you deeper.

The Problem Isn't The Message; The Problem Is Our Heart

We live in an age when words rule. We all like to talk, whether verbally or written. The Church is filled with words; people talking, debating, arguing, disagreeing, and there are a lot of books being written. There is a huge war of words as the philosophers of the Church argue with each other in front of the whole world. We are hearing "false prophet", "false teacher" being thrown around far too easily. It is like we have forgotten the Word that tells us:

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:19-21)

But it is difficult to understand this when we have allowed the Church to be lead by the academia and we know how teachers love words. Where is the gospel that comes with power?

If we follow this thought it leads us to the realization of how many of those words are empty. The Word of God is never empty, filled with power to convict and change the hearts of the receivers. The empty words come from those who would rather debate the word instead of submit to it. Those words lack any good. So what we should be looking for is the fruit that is produced. That is how we know the true content of the heart, by the fruit it produces.

There are many passages of Scripture that teach on this but I appreciate a certain passage in Isaiah 32:

For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. (Isaiah 32:6)

Case study number 1: The Fool. Look at what such a heart produces; ungodliness, uttering error, keeping the hungry hungry, spoiling the drink of the thirsty. The heart of the fool produces emptiness. Those who are seeking Jesus will not discover him in the words of a fool.

Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice. (v. 7)

Case study number 2: The Schemer. Look at what this heart produces; wicked plans, destruction through lying words, denying justice. Pity the seeker who is looking for Jesus in the words of a schemer.

But a generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand. (v. 8)

Case study number 3: The Generous. It is obvious what such a heart produces; generous things. This is the heart of love as defined by Jesus in Luke 6, giving recklessly, without thought of personal cost, to the benefit of friend or foe. In these words we will discover the power of the Kingdom.

So many of the words spoken and debated today are spoken from selfish, puffed up hearts that think nothing of the consequences of their speaking. The fruit that is produced is confusion and division. No one is growing into spiritual maturity from these things. They are destructive to the Body of Christ. We should pay attention to the wisdom of Proverbs:

Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

That should give us something to ponder as we ask the Spirit to examine our hearts, but let us not stop at this familiar verse but let us put it in context of what follows:

Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil. (vv. 24-27)

The only way we are going to see the power of the Kingdom return is when we stop the foolishness, examine our hearts and walk the walk we have been given. Fix your eyes on Jesus and stop trying to make a name for yourself by tearing down other servants. If they are in error the Spirit is not impotent; he will correct. But you, you keep your eyes on the prize, understanding your tasks and allowing the power of the resurrection to flow through you. The world needs to see Jesus in us, the Church, the Body of Christ. Let your heart be true and may they discover Christ through the fruit that is produced by his reckless love in you.

What Are Your Actions Saying About Jesus?

We talk big. We really do. We have a lot to say about our God and about our relationship with him. It is all good stuff and it should be very encouraging to people. The only problem is that we are often hypocritical in our actions. We say that we love Jesus but then we don't always do what he says. We say we trust Jesus but we seem to have a break down as soon as we face any difficulty. We say that we walk with him but don't spend any time in the Word or in prayer. We say that we want what he wants, we want to live his will, but then we never take time to understand that will and just do what we think is best. People stop listening because of our inconsistency.

We need to jealously guard the testimony Jesus has given us and we need to be consistent in our witness. We should never be afraid of weakness in the face of adversity because he loves to glorify himself through our weaknesses. The Word tells us that he searches the earth looking for those who are loyal to him so he can reveal himself through their weakness. This is not unlike the famous passage where the apostle Paul is shown this truth and declares he wants to be weak always so that Jesus can be revealed in him.

Consider Ezra for a moment. He came from a long line of priests and was a scribe of the law of Moses. Ezra was also in captivity. But this was the time of the great release, when it was put in the hearts of the foreign kings to release the children of Yahweh and to support the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. I imagine Ezra had spent a long time explaining Yahweh and Israel to the king and even bragged about the power of Yahweh.

The king commissioned Ezra to return to Jerusalem and make offerings on his behalf. He loaded him down with officials and lots of money so it is obvious that Ezra's words must have had an impact. But then those words were put to the test. The empire was huge and hard to police so travel was dangerous. It was only natural that with all that money Ezra should request an armed escort. But Ezra was sensitive to the words, the testimony he had spoken to the king:

For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer. (Ezra 8:22-23)

It may seem like a little thing to you but it speaks volumes to me that Ezra was jealous for the reputation of Yahweh. He had told the king that Yahweh's favour rested upon all those who served him. Imagine how that testimony would have been diminished if Ezra had asked for protection. So he did what we all should do, he fasted and prayed until the Lord's will and direction were made clear to him. They were protected by Yahweh and the testimony stood.

Sometimes we are guilty of bragging about things that we are not prepared to live. It is easy to talk of trust until we are put in a desperation situation where we have to exercise that trust. It is easy to talk to others about faith until we are in a situation where we have to lean only on the promises of Jesus. The worse times are when we have a choice to either trust Jesus or to ask the world for help. Too many of us turn to the world and allow our testimony to fall. We should not speak of anything that we are not willing to put into action because we will be held accountable for our words.

I think it would be a good thing if we decided to be more transparent and honest with ourselves and those in our sphere of testimony. Sometimes we have to grow into trust and faith but we need to be aware of it so we can speak our testimony in such a way. We are just beginners in this relationship so we should not claim to be something we are not. We are learning to trust, learning to obey, learning to walk by faith. Our desire should always be to have our walk match our talk. When our words are put to the test, as they were for Ezra, we shouldn't shrink back but instead throw ourselves into the arms of Jesus, seeking his strength and direction. It is good to brag about the Lord but it is even better to allow him to glorify himself in your weakness so the whole world can see him in us. That is our purpose.

Don't Give Satan Power Over You

Have you ever been told to be careful of what you say? Have you been told to watch what you confess with your mouth? Often people say that you will bring life to whatever fear, worry, lust, longing that you speak. Your words give it life. The Word of God is filled with warnings to be careful of what you say. There is a reason for all of this: It is with your words that you either defeat or arm your enemy against you.

So let's understand this: Satan is not God. He is not an equal force fighting against him. He is not arm wrestling with Jesus over souls. Jesus sent Satan packing with a few simple words and, with the authority given to him by the Father, he sent the servants of the enemy scurrying away with the simple command to "Go!" God is God and there is no other. Evil cannot overcome him and there is no foe that can defeat him.

Now understand this: Only God knows your thoughts. No one knows what you are thinking, except for our Creator. He knows our motivations because he knows our mind and our heart. Don't worry; he knows and he has still chosen to love you. That's how great his grace is. The Word tells us:

You know when I am resting
    or when I am working,
    and from heaven
    you discover my thoughts. (Psalm 139:2)

 Don’t say, “I didn’t know it!
    God can read your mind.
He watches each of us
    and knows our thoughts. (Proverbs 24:12)

When king David was preparing his son, Solomon, for the great task that awaited him, he told him:

Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done. He knows all your thoughts and your reasons for doing things, and so if you turn to him, he will hear your prayers. (1 Chronicles 28:9)

The problem is when we turn around and credit Satan with the same attributes as God. Satan does not know your thoughts. He cannot hear what you are thinking. He does not know your words before they are on your lips but when they are on your lips he knows, and that`s the point.

Satan is a great student of human behaviour and character. He has servants who watch, take notes, and listen to your words to know your heart. He has no other way to know you then to study your words and actions. It is the reason we are warned:

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. (1 Peter 5:8)

How does he know who to attack? Is he going to attack those who stand strong in the authority of Jesus; who worship and praise all day long? Is he going to attack those who proclaim the promises in every situation? Is he going to attack those who have developed faith muscles by declaring the goodness of Jesus in the face of all circumstances? Or is he going to attack those who show their weakness by the confession of their mouth? Those who grumble, complain, back bite? Is he going to attack those who confess (not to God but the world) their illnesses, lusts and desires? Is he going to attack those who expose their plans and who curse the good things that God is doing through circumstances?

We have nothing to fear from Satan unless we give him the power over us; unless we leave the pasture of our Shepherd and tell the world of our fears. As long as the Lord is our strength, our sword and our shield, as long as his praise is sweet on our lips, as long as we make sure our words, the confessions of our hearts, are seasoned with his grace and love, the enemy will never be able to touch us. But the moment we start confessing our fears, anxieties, anger, bitterness, hatred, discontent, he will know exactly how to work on us until he succeeds in separating us from the Lover of our Soul. Like a knife in an open wound, he will continue to twist on the nerve of our emotions.

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

And let your words flow from such things. Even if you are struggling with a wrong attitude, confess it to God but be silent before your enemy. In fact, know what is best for you and despite how you may feel, let the praises of our Lord fill your mouth and the air around you simply because you know he is good. May the atmosphere of where you are change from whatever it is to the sweet awareness of God's presence and may others be blessed by you instead of cursed as a result of your close walk with Jesus.

Worthless Talk

Words, words, words. We talk a lot but say very little. We have a rich language but we limit ourselves to a communication that expresses practically nothing. Everyone has a FaceBook, many have blogs and we fill cyber space with lots of information, telling people what we are eating, wearing and doing but nothing that would reveal much about our hearts. These days we seem to be into shock and destroy. We use our words as weapons, containing very little value, their purpose to wound as deeply as possible. We also have a lot of useless conversations.

In the Church we major on the minor, risking salvation over methods of worship or evangelistic approach. We concentrate on what someone has or has not done and we are slow with forgiveness. We use our words to keep a person buried in their sin instead of assisting to restore them to Jesus. Words are powerful and important and should be filled with grace. We should also walk away from any conversation that does not add to us or someone else. Run away from the conversations that rob us or someone else:

Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God. That sort of talk is like a sore that won’t heal. (2 Timothy 2:16-17)

It seems this was a problem in the early Church as Paul wrote about it often. It was caused by people who were teaching about things they knew nothing about. It seems Paul encouraged them to stick to the basics when testifying about Jesus:

Keep your mind on Jesus Christ! He was from the family of David and was raised from death, just as my good news says. (v. 8)

There are a lot of wonderful things about Jesus beyond the cross and the empty tomb but not everyone should presume to be teachers. Many things of speculation are passed on as certain truth. Churches have been split over disputable matters. You and I probably would not agree on a lot of things but the basics are for certain. It is crazy that we would allow such things to divide and weaken us.

We have a job to do and we have to stop allowing words to distract us. There are people dying every day while we discuss things that will have no impact on their salvation. I am not saying that sound doctrine is not important  but we need to make a distinction between the foundation matters and the things that divide us. I don't really care where you stand on the tribulation, as long as Jesus is Lord and we love and serve him with our entire being. We share the same Father, same King, same Spirit and the same mission. Nothing else matters and nothing else should be permitted to get in our way.

Too many of us have too much theology and not enough practicality. Too many of us spend hours in study and nothing in sharing the good news. Too many of us are too concerned about our own salvation and not concerned for others. Paul said he would gladly give up all he had with Jesus if it would lead to the salvation of his people. Do we have that level of passion for what Jesus told us to do? He did not tell us to go build schools or churches in his name, he told us to make disciples. How do we do that? Just like he did. Let's keep away from worthless and useless talk.

Full Of Grace And Seasoned With Salt

We all know the power of words, having felt that power many times in our lives. We have had words of love and encouragement spoken into us. There have been words to inspire and ignite; words to build up and cheer us on in some of the worse moments of our lives. There have been words of blessings but there have also been words of cursing. There have been words that have acted as a destructive force, trying to rob us of our joy and peace. There have been words that have robbed us of our dreams and prevented us from moving on to overcome things in our lives. There have been ugly, useless words that have buffeted key moments of our lives. Words are powerful indeed.

Sometimes it is the word itself that has the power and sometimes it is the intent behind the word. Some of the most wonderful words can be spoken into our lives with a maliciousness that steals away any value they contained to bless. It is the latter that I believe Paul was referring to when he wrote:

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)

It is not the "what" that Paul is referring to but the "how". Some people may look at this verse and see the "what" but Jesus told us not to worry about the "what" because when we walk in the Spirit the Spirit will always fill our mouths with the right words to say. It is the manner in which we say it that we must pay attention. It is a conversation full of grace and seasoned with salt that will keep the powerful words of God powerful.

You can yell at someone that you love them until your face turns blue but the yelling is robbing the word of its power. You can tell people that God loves and forgives them but if there is lack of grace in the manner in which you speak there will be no power behind those words. We are a people of grace and, no matter the actions of other people, we must respond as a people of grace. Just as a gentle answer turns away wrath, an answer seasoned with salt opens the heart to receiving the words, the blessings, the encouragement.

I think sometimes parents forget that their teens are in great need of this grace and these words seasoned with salt. Too often we parents allow our emotional attachment to our kids block out our spiritual responsibility  to respond and not react. Just because the emotional teen in front of us is yelling at us because of a momentary panic in their lives does not mean we need to have an emotional reaction to them. The words of grace, seasoned with salt must be applied. The moment will pass, we will still have our peace, and our teen is not so emotional any more. You may even discover that the Spirit gives just the right words to speak into their situation.

As followers of Jesus we should see how Jesus responded to people, even those who were trying to trap him. By the Spirit he had the right words to speak but he also responded with much grace. Who were they to question the Son of God? But he lowered himself to their level and spoke with patience, love, kindness and grace. They were confounded and stumped by the simple things with which he responded. You have that same Spirit. Trust God for the words and you concentrate on the attitude. Let's make sure we are not doing anything to rob God's words of their power.

Words That Shape Us

How you see yourself is exactly how you are going to act. That is why the words that we allow into our heart can be so powerful, if we allow them to change our perception. If we are not absolutely sure of who we are those words, which come from other people, can actually shape us into how other people see us. This is why it is important for parents to speak good things into their children because those young lives are still being shaped and are influenced by our words.

This is also why it is important that we only allow God's words to shape us. We need to be absolutely sure of who we are in Jesus so that assurance will prevent others from shaping us. Consider these words:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved ... (Colossians 3:12a)

Chosen, holy, loved. This describes us. Chosen because God made a choice in sending Jesus so that we may be saved from destruction and adopted into the Father's family. Holy because, by God's grace, that is what he has declared over us and made the decision how to see us, even though we are not worthy of that word; it is who we are because God said we are holy. Loved because God has poured out all his mercy, forgiveness and compassion on us, transforming us into something new, saving us from ourselves and sitting us at his right hand with Jesus.

Now how could we ever listen to any words that say we are ugly when God says we are beautiful? There are too many hurtful words that we could repeat here but why bother; they don't apply to us. God has told us exactly who we are and we need to act on those words, allowing them to shape our perception and action. If words can be spoken to convince us we are stupid and we act stupid, should not the words of God propel us into acts of greatness?

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (v12)

Because we are chosen, holy and loved we are shaped so that we become compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. If you are not sure of who you are then words will shape you into other actions even though you desire to be these things from God. You may want to be compassionate but because you are not convinced you are chosen, holy and loved, your actions will not reflect Jesus' character; you will not cooperate with the Holy Spirit in you.

We can't just attend church, Bible Study and sing sings, hoping for the best. We have to be transformed. We have to allow the blood of Jesus Christ to transform us into the new creation to which God has called us. We need to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to continue the transformation process daily. We need to be convinced of who we are in Jesus so the words of God are the only words that shape us. Know who you are in Jesus and walk that walk.

Being Tossed About By Empty Words Is Far More Dangerous Than the Winds Of A Hurricane

It's just words. It's just a book. It's just a movie. It's just a show.

Words are never innocent. They are not benign. They are never without power and effect. Just the opposite. Words melt hearts, change minds, bring peace and cause wars. Words plant ideas, thoughts, deep rebellions, spark revolutions. Words deserve respect, fear and measuring.

As followers of Jesus we must understand that everything we subject ourselves to has an effect on us. If we are aware of that then we can always be on our guard against those things that would try to separate us from Jesus. If we are not aware then we could become victims of words just like Eve.

It doesn't mean we don't listen. I hope we are stronger in our faith than that. But as you listen weigh the words that are spoken. Undress the ideas presented and examine their validity against the Word of God. We have nothing to fear from words unless we accept the wisdom of man to be of greater worth than God's.

There is the crux of the matter: We must be centered on the Word of God, with a sure foundation of solid faith beneath our feet. We must get the Word of God in, have a good healthy understanding of his wisdom, as well as a great revelation of his love and plan. Without it we will be mugged by every "brilliant" thought and idea presented to us.

Paul warned the Ephesians and the Spirit warns us:

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. (Ephesians 5:6-7)

When Jesus is left out of them and the wisdom of God set aside from them, words become empty of any value. We are told not to be partners with them. If it is not supported by the Word of God we must not allow those words to plant themselves in us, rejecting and denying them for the sake of God's truth. There are a lot of people being deceived because they study the empty words of man over the wisdom of God. They call themselves Christian for a time but their fruit speaks the truth.

We only have a short time here to serve our Lord and to become spiritually mature. We don't have time to waste on empty words that produce nothing but death. You have to choose wisely what you read, watch and listen to. Too many of us waste too much time on music that entertains but that does not edify. We waste hours on scrolling through social media that numbs our mind and distracts us from our purpose. We never have time to study the Word but we have plenty of time to waste on television, internet, music, games, FaceBook and tumblr.

What are we doing?

Who do we belong to?

What are we filling our head with?

Our pursuit in life should be to gain greater spiritual maturity. You are not going to achieve that watching "The Big Bang Theory". Our desire should be to increase in our revelation of Jesus' love. That's not going to happen listening to "Lady Gaga". Our purpose should be to reveal Jesus to every person lost in this sick, dying, and very dark world. But that's not going to happen as long as you are lost in the world of "Fifty Shades Of Grey". Don't be entertained by the darkness and allow it to seed it's empty words into your heart. Instead, bring the Light to the darkness. Make a real difference. Make an eternal difference. Weigh those words. Measure them against Jesus. Seek maturity:

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. (Ephesians 4:14)

How Is Your Mouth Doing?

So, between us, how's your mouth doing? I know, surrounded by what we are surrounded with, it's hard sometimes not to add colourful words to our vocabulary. I tell my kids that to choose to use such vulgar language shows a lack of imagination and vocabulary. But there are worse things than a poor choice of vocabulary that comes out of our mouth. Words are mean, destructive and powerful if misused and abused. It is amazing what a terrible force of evil our words can be, spoken, sung or written.

Words are like seeds. Once released they can never be taken back; they are never forgotten. They plant themselves in hearts and minds. There they grow into other things, changing people, sometimes igniting wars:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths ... (Ephesians 4:29)

People read that and think like we have talked about here, that it is about crude and vulgar language. Yes, the use of such words hurt and disturb but there is a greater unwholesome talk. There is the talk that tears down and destroys people. There is the spreading of nasty rumours. There is the name calling and labelling. There is the finger pointing and false accusations. There is the complaining and rebellious words spoken in hatred. Yes indeed, there are a lot of words of hate spoken throughout the day. All of this and more is what is unwholesome. Consider what Jesus explained:

What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ (Matthew 15:11)

What is coming out of our mouth that reveals the hidden secrets and condition of our heart? We are showing more of ourselves than what we release. I knew that much even as a kid. I was always quiet and was very picky who I spoke with because I did not want to reveal too much of myself. Our words are a window into our heart. But now that Jesus is the occupier of that heart I can't talk enough. I want my heart to be seen so people can see Jesus. That's why the words I use must be a reflection of my King:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

The words that come out of our mouth should be words that are useful, important and used for the benefit of others. Words worth speaking are those that encourage and build people up. Our words should defend those who are defenceless, cover those who need forgiveness, comfort those who are in need of  comfort, love those who are loveless. There are seeds that will continue to grow and bear fruit long after we are gone when they are birthed from the love of Jesus.

Our vocabulary is very important and should be a vocabulary of love. You know I am not talking about romance but a selflessness as is revealed in 1 Corinthians 13. Most of you who read this are people of words, of expression, of deep thought. Then consider well your words, whether they are wholesome, and whether they are of benefit to be spoken. There is a reason why our mother's told us "If you have nothing good to say don't say anything at all". But we who are of Christ always have something good to say in every situation, because of his love. Speak well today my friends.

Reaction Or Response?

In yesterday's blog I mentioned how we respond to people matters. At all times we are representing Jesus Christ, our King. As his representatives it is important for us to set aside our reactions and allow the Holy Spirit to respond through us. The character of Jesus should be evident to everyone who knows us, meets us and happens to bump into us:

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6) 

There is a difference between reacting and responding. Reaction is a knew-jerk thing. Someone does something and your flesh takes over before you can even process it. Words fly out of your mouth. Your body goes into action. Your emotions boil over. The only time a reaction is good is when we are jumping out of the way of a bus.

Any time we are reacting to someone it is almost always an emotional thing and usually those emotions are hurt or anger. We lash back with words that we may later regret. We may slam our fist against a wall to express our reaction, or maybe throw something but hopefully never hit anyone. We allow the emotion to take over, flood our heart and mind and deafen us to the Spirit.

A response is much different. It comes after we have all the facts and have considered things from perspectives beyond our own. It gives us time to hear and be directed from the Holy Spirit. It takes the effort of the emotions to control us and submits it under the control of the Spirit. It recognizes there is more at stake here than just our emotions, rights, desires.

When we decide to respond instead of react to a person we are giving the love of Jesus time to work itself in and through us. Our words are full of grace and seasoned with salt. We speak wisdom into the situation. We remove ourselves from the formula and instead of being a victim we become the minister. We minister Jesus' love, mercy and grace into the situation.

There is nothing saying that the person we are responding to doesn't deserve a tongue lashing or worse. Perhaps they deserve justice for what they did but if our God was only concerned with justice we would not be where we are today. Grace, mercy, compassion, understanding, patience and love is what should be seen in us, produced by the Spirit and given our permission to determine our response.

There is never an excuse to react in kind to anyone. There is never an excuse to yell at someone or to shake our fist at them. There is never an excuse to swear, use vulgar language or anything that would destroy our witness for Jesus. There is never an excuse to treat people poorly or to purposefully try to hurt them. It doesn't matter how tired we are, angry, upset, distraught. In all things we must remain submit to the Holy Spirit and allow him to direct us in our response to people. In all things allow the love of Jesus to be our guide. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.